Reconciliation
by captainswanproblems
Summary: "You try to have faith in somebody even when you're the last person that believes in him. But when that person lets you down after you've been constantly there for them, and so many times, you don't know what else to do." Aria moves to New York with Hanna and Spencer after things with her family heat up. Years later, when they return to Rosewood, Aria runs into Jason.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! This is my first time writing fanfiction for PLL, so I'm sorry if it's disappointing. This story is inspired by LiVeUrLiFe011's Jaria story, _Trust Issues_. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Prologue**

"Oh my God," Aria breathed out as she opened the door to find a cardboard box with a doll that looked just like her with her name on it inside, written in red script. She found a blank piece of paper in the box, void of anything except for the small '_Pull the string. -A_' on it that she almost missed because of the small writing.

Hesitantly, she turned the creepy doll around to find a delicate white string protruding from its back, a small plastic circle attached at the end to make it easier to pull. She slowly pulled the string, and listened closely as it said, in a high-pitched voice that she assumed was supposed to be hers, "Your father isn't the saint he appears to be. Tell him to be careful for me, he might contract an STD! Do your parents both a favor and tell your mother by seven tonight, or be prepared to sacrifice your little brother to the devil. It might as well cost his life."

Aria's hands shook as she slowly reached into the box once more, pulling out a small disc with a disc void of writing on it. It was the proof of her father cheating.

She took her phone out from the pocket of her black jean shorts, sending a text to Hanna, Spencer, and Emily.

_Just got a box from A filled with "goodies." She gave me a freaky doll and a DVD, which is possibly a sex tape of my dad and whoever he's cheating on my mom with. 'A' demands I should either show my mom or I should "be prepared to sacrifice my little brother to the devil." Am I the only one?_ She hit 'send' and waited. Only a few seconds later, her phone beeped.

_I got a special present from our favorite stalker too. Meet at my place?_ Spencer texted back.

Aria slipped her feet into her black platform heels, grabbed her keys, and walked outside to her car after saying a quick goodbye to her brother, Mike. Ella and Byron were both still at work. She started the ignition and checked the time, seeing that it was nearing five P.M.

"I'm going to ruin my family," Aria groaned as she rested her elbows onto her thighs and leaned her face into her hands.

"And I'm going to completely demolish mine," Hanna said from beside her. 'A' had told her to show Isabelle, her father's fiancee, a DVD with the sex tape of her father and her mother.

"This is completely cruel," Spencer said, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought about how her mother would react to her news. Her father had cheated on her mother more than twenty years ago with Mrs. DiLaurentis, and the product of that affair was Jason DiLaurentis, Spencer's new found half-brother. "All too cruel," she repeated, shaking her head slowly. "I mean, this is a whole new low."

Emily, however, had gotten her gift.. reversed. Paige McCullers, her current girlfriend, had cheated on her with some other girl from school. She still sat there in shock, not saying a single word.

"This is impossible," Hanna muttered. "How does this 'A' bitch expect us to drop these bombs on them? Is she even _human_?"

"And by seven tonight. How fucking great," Aria said, rubbing her temples as she felt a headache coming on.

"Speaking of which, you guys should get going. It's 6:30 P.M," Spencer announced, getting up from her seat.

"Crap," Aria cursed, grabbing her bag and leaving hastily. "See you guys tomorrow," she called over her shoulder as she drove back home, dread and anxiety pooling in her stomach.

* * *

"Mom?" She called out as she entered the house.

"Yes, Aria?" Ella called out as she worked on preparing dinner for her family.

She pursed her lips, hesitating. She glanced quickly at the clock hanging on the wall to see it was 6:50 P.M. She cringed internally and sighed. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, honey," Ella said lovingly, setting down her spatula and taking off her apron. "What do you need?"

"Mom, dad's been cheating on you again," she said, pulling out the DVD.

Ella froze for a second, taking in and making sense of the words.

"_What_?" she asked in a quiet whisper, clearly startled.

She took her mother's hand in her own and squeezed it.

"Mom, h-he's doing it again―"

"How- how did you― it's- this- it's just a joke right? A cruel joke?" She asked, a hysterical, yet dark smile appearing on her pink lips.

"No, mom. He― it's real. It's happening again." She choked out the last word, her voice breaking as tears sprung to her eyes from watching her mother break down.

"I can't," her mother choked out as she held a hand to her mouth to stifle her cries, tears making their way down her cheeks. "How did you find out?"

"Mom―"

"_How_ did you find out, Aria?" She demanded, clenching and unclenching her fists.

Aria wiped at some tears with the back of her hand. "I.. I have proof, mom." She tightened her grip on her mother's hand. "And I.. the last time this happened, you made me promise you.. that if this ever happened again that I would need to tell you. I didn't know what to do, mom," she cried as she wiped furiously at more tears that were running freely down her cheeks.

Ella was silent for minutes, standing there and staring into space. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she slid the DVD towards Aria. "Take it. I don't want to look at it."

Aria took it and threw it with disdain into the trashcan after breaking it in half. She had just destroyed her mother, and by doing that, she destroyed her family, and she didn't know what to do about it. She didn't know what to feel anymore.

She held her mother in her arms as she cried on her shoulder.

"What's going on here?" Byron asked as he stepped into the kitchen, setting his keys onto the counter. Mike was just behind him, glancing curiously and worriedly at the pair in front of him.

Ella slipped out of Aria's grasp, took multiple glass plates, and hurled them at Byron. "Get out! I want you out of my house!"

Byron stood, confused for a second, before realizing what this was all about. By the look on his face, Mike did too.

Mike turned to her. "How could you do this Aria? Why did you show mom? You just destroyed what barely remained of our family!"

_To protect you, Mike!_ she wanted to shout, but she stopped herself. "What did you want me to do? Keep her in the dark? She has a right to know, Mike!"

In the background, she can hear her mother and father arguing in the living room, vases flying across the room and her mother's hurt screams.

"You didn't have to show her, Aria!" He shouted, slamming his fist down onto the counter.

_Yes, I did._ "Mom deserves to know, Mike," she said again, hiccuping now from crying. "What did you expect? You just want him to go whoring around with random women he barely knows and then come home only to play house? That's not the way family works, Mike. "

"How could he do this? _Why?_" Mike said, more calmly now. He clenched his eyes shut and ran upstairs, slamming the door to his room shut.

Aria followed behind him, going into her own room and bawling her eyes out.

_I just destroyed my family._

_I ruined my mother's happiness._

_My father and brother will never forgive me._

_Nothing is going to be the same ever again._

She could hear her mother's sharp words downstairs. "Enough! Enough of this nonsense! I want you to pack your bag and leave my house, right now!"

Byron sighed in defeat, trudging upstairs and packing a duffel bag with his clothes and toiletries. She could hear him hurl something, a lamp maybe, across the room.

He walked out of the room and set his duffel bag down at the top of the stairs. He stormed towards her and, with fury in his eyes that frightened Aria, he took her by the shoulders and shook her body. "How could you do this to us, Aria?! Look at what you've done! Look at the mess you've made, you worthless, ungrateful child!" Then, his arm bent back and she suddenly felt a sharp sting on her cheek. "Look at what you've done to us!"

"Byron! Stop it! Stop it; get off from her!" Ella yelled, coming up the stairs and pushing Byron off from Aria. "This has nothing to do with her, I had the right to know!"

"No! She could've kept it a secret, we could have been just fine!" He said, pointing an accusing finger towards Aria as he spoke harshly.

"Are you even listening to yourself right now? You know what? No. Get out, Byron! Just go! Get out!"

Begrudgingly, Byron picked up his dufflebag and swung it over his shoulder. She could hear her mother go into her room and lock her door after her father exit the house with a loud _bang!_

Aria snuck under her pillows and blankets and cried her heart out for the perfect family she knew she'd never have.

* * *

**One month later**

'A' must have been surprisingly satisfied with her work, as she stopped texting the four of them after her last sick game. Aria sighed as she got dressed after applying concealer to her eye bags. She hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately, with the family drama going on. She changed into a black bustier with crossed straps at the back, a black ruffled-tiered mini skirt, black suede platform pumps with a bow strap at the front, and a black cardigan. Lately, black has been the only color she's been wearing.

Grabbing her bag and keys, she drove to school alone. Ella and Mike had gone to Jersey to live with her grandmother for the time being, and, since she was eighteen, she decided to stay in Rosewood by herself.

She arrived at school to see that Hanna, Spencer, and Emily were already there. They sat on the tables in the courtyard, solemn looks on their faces.

Hanna, like Aria, had destroyed her family. Isabelle and Mr. Marin called it quits, and Mrs. Marin didn't talk to anyone, only getting up to silently go to work, get food, and use the bathroom. Mr. Marin moved back to wherever he came from without even a goodbye to Hanna, which broke her heart.

In Mrs. Hastings's case, even though the event happened more than two decades ago, the news hit her like a ton of bricks. She refused to talk to everyone, and now, more than ever, worked extremely late. She never had time to go home or sleep in her own bed anymore. The only time she would stop by the household was when she grabbed a change of clothes.

Emily, on the other hand, had confronted Paige about her involvement with another girl, and Paige had guiltily confessed. Emily has been silent all this month, only talking when she was called on by the teacher in class.

Aria had broken up with Ezra a week after breaking her family apart.

_"Mr. Fitz, can I speak with you for a moment?" Aria asked as the bell rung and students filed out of the classroom._

_"Of course. How may I help you, Ms. Montgomery?" he asked, a brilliant smile on his handsome face. _

_Aria wrung her hands together, staring down at them. She couldn't meet his eyes. _

_"Aria, are you alright?" He asked, standing up from his seat and tilting her chin up with his fingers so that their eyes met._

_"Ezra, I-I can't be with you anymore," she breathed out._

_"What? Why?" Ezra asked hurriedly. "It's not because of your family, is it? Because if it is, we can get through it together."_

_"No. It's-I just.." Aria paused. "I just feel like dating is out of the question right now. I have a lot on my plate, and I don't have time for anything anymore, so.."_

_"Aria_―" _Ezra reached his hand out to caress her face, but she pulled away._

_"Goodbye, Ezra."_

From that day forward, Ezra constantly cornered her in the hallways or after school and class to try to talk to her, but she always pushed him away.

Needless to say, this month had all been one of the worst for all of them.

* * *

**Two weeks later**

Aria got up a bit earlier than normal than what was usual for her and got ready for the day. She stopped wearing black a week ago when Hanna told her to "stop being depressing and dreary" because it was making her depressing and dreary as well.

She slipped into a royal blue Rasputin top with an asymmetric hem and halter back-spaghetti straps. She paired the camisole with light wash cut-off jean shorts with rolled up legs and hole distress. She then slipped her feet into her blue Christian Louboutin Pigalle heels, slipped on a bracelet cuff and a sapphire ring, grabbed her bag, sunglasses, and took off to go look for Spencer's half-brother, Jason DiLaurentis. She had decided to move away from Rosewood and its horrors and go to New York for a fresh start. God knew she needed one.

Her father's words had hurt her immensely, and every time she closed her eyes, she could hear him repeating them again and again. _"How could you do this to us, Aria?! Look at what you've done! Look at the mess you've made, you worthless, ungrateful child!" _She could still feel the way he shook her senseless and the way her cheek stung after his burning slap. She had a large red welt on the side of her cheek for days after that. Secretly, she had been breaking down further and further until there was only a shell of her left. She had bottled in all the hurt and anger and depression and kept it at bay. For sure, she expected it to just blow up in someone's face one day.

She thought back to her move to New York. Spencer and Hanna decided to tag along last minute. She needed Jason DiLaurentis to help her haul boxes off the U-Haul truck and help her pack. Spencer and Hanna were both busy doing the same, and Emily was too distracted and depressed to do anything other than hole up in her bedroom whenever she could.

She stopped by his house, which was right beside Spencer's, and found that he was outside, remodeling the house. She also took notice of how he was shirtless and how incredibly alluring he was when his muscles flexed as he worked.

"Jason?" she asked, taking a tentative step forward after pushing her sunglasses up to the top of her head.

He turned around and gave her a barely-there smile. "Aria," he said. "What can I do for you?" he asked, folding his arms against his chest. The pursed her lips as she watched the muscles in his arms flex as he did so.

She thought back to a little while ago, maybe around the same time she broke up with Ezra, he had given her a ride back home one time when she needed one. By the end of the night, he had walked her up to her front porch and kissed her on the lips softly, confessing his feelings for her.

_"Aria, I care about you. And I wanted to tell you in the off-chance that you might feel the same way."_

At that moment, all of her past feeling for her dead best friend's older brother came simmering back to the surface. She blushed. For as long as she could remember, she had always had a crush on the older DiLaurentis. Her heartbeat quickened every single time she was around him, her palms became sweaty, and she sometimes stuttered when she talked to him because of the intensity of his glance. To round that all up, she pretty much turned into a bumbling idiot when she was around him.

"I was hoping you'd, um, help me bring boxes into my house and help me pack up my stuff? I would've asked Hanna or Spencer or something, but they're busy doing the same things and Toby and Caleb are helping them, and, uh, Emily is kind of not talking to anyone, so yeah, and.." she sighed. "I'm rambling now, aren't I?"

He chuckled. Jason had taken notice of her behavior around him, and he thought it was cute. "Sure. Just let me go find my shirt, and I'll be right with you."

Aria waited patiently and watched as he slipped his tank top over his head and walked over.

"Let's go," he said, following her to her car.

"So where, exactly, are you moving to?" Jason asked once they were done. He leaned against the threshold, arms crossed.

"We're just taking a break," she lied. "We all need the fresh start away from Rosewood. It.. holds too many painful memories."

Jason nodded thoughtfully. She then watched as he paused and leaned closer towards her. For a second, she thought he was going to kiss her again, but, to her surprise, he reached forward and touched the welt on her cheek from the slap her father inflicted on her a month ago. She winced as he rubbed his thumb against it.

"Aria," he said, a dangerous tone to his voice. "Who did this to you?" he asked.

She pushed his hand away. "Just slipped, is all," she said, looking the other way and refusing to meet his eyes.

"Aria, you're the worst liar ever. What I said last time we saw each other was true. I care about you, Aria."

She hesitated. "I don't think that would be the best idea, Jason―"

"_Aria_."

She sighed and gave in. "My dad," she muttered under her breath.

"_What_?"

She told him the story about how she found out about her father's affair and about how she confronted her mother, leaving out the parts about 'A'. By the time she was done, his hand was caressing her other cheek gently, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her cool skin.

"You are anything but worthless and ungrateful, Aria," he whispered.

They stood there in silence, gazing into the other's eyes. Slowly, he leaned forward and crashed his lips against hers. Aria was reluctant to respond at first, but gradually built up the nerve. It was a heated and passionate kiss― completely different from the last one they shared and contrasting from the ones she usually received from Ezra, which were always sweet and slow. He gently took her into his arms as they remained lip-locked, wrapping his strong arms around her small waist. She returned the gesture, one hand cupping his face and the other snaking around his neck to play with the hair at the nape of his neck.

The kiss ended faster than she would've liked, but she pulled away panting, resting her forehead against his.

"What does this mean?" she asked quietly after standing like that for a few seconds. She looked up into his eyes and her breath caught in her throat.

"It can mean anything you want."

She pursed her lips. She stayed silent for a little longer before pulling away from his touch. "Thanks for the help today, Jason."

"So this is it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "We kiss and then you leave for who knows how long?"

She looked away.

Jason sighed and kissed her cheek before giving her a chaste kiss on the lips: a goodbye kiss. "I guess I'll take your silence as a cue to leave. See you around when you come back or whatever," he said, a hint of anger and disappointment in his tone. He walked away, closing the door behind him.

Aria sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

* * *

When Aria woke up the next day, she got dressed in comfortable clothes: a white corset with a white lace overlay, black skinny jeans, black combat boots, and a black cardigan. She grabbed her luggage handle and drove to the airport, where she was supposed to meet Hanna and Spencer. The three had decided together that it was best not to tell anyone but their immediate family about their moving to New York. She found them in their designated airplane seats, which were right next to hers.

"Good riddance, Rosewood," Aria sighed as she looked out the window. "'Till we meet again."

* * *

**Review please! Thanks. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, but I'd really appreciate it if there were more! There's barely any Jaria interaction in this chapter, since it's a filler and kind of just explains how their lives are over the span of the five years that they leave Rosewood. Sorry if there's any grammatical errors!**

* * *

**2 months later**

_2 Missed messages from: Ezra Fitz_

_[8/18/13 16:29:38] Where'd you disappear to, Aria? You should come back to school._

_[8/29/13 17:43:31] Please come back. _

_6 Missed messages from: Jason DiLaurentis_

_[8/23/13 14:03:12] When are you coming back?_

_[8/23/13 14:52:44] It's been a bit long for a break, isn't it?_

_[8/24/13 8:23:11] Kind of worried._

_[8/25/13 18:46:23] Are you guys coming back for senior year? Junior year barely even started. Fitz is wondering where you are by the way._

_[5/26/13 12:21:06] All I get is silence?_

_[5/28/13 13:33:21] Please._

Completely ignoring Ezra's messages, Aria sighed as she read the messages from Jason. She was tempted to reply, but Spencer and Hanna had both decided that they wouldn't talk to anyone from Rosewood anymore.

_"Aria, if you truly want to let go, you have to cut all connection―all ties,"_ Hanna had once told her. Hanna and Spencer had both, respectively, broken up with Caleb and Toby. Their relationships were both rocky and full of blame, so they called it quits.

Aria walked into the high-class, luxurious house Spencer had bought for the three of them. It was five stories― "one for each girl," Spencer had said, "one for Emily if she ever decides to visit, and the bottom floor can be the lobby or something like that."

Hanna had the third floor, Aria the fourth, and Spencer the penthouse. It had overwhelmed her at first― how everything was new, clean, and the furnishing was all up-to-date and simply _stunning._ They even had an infinity pool, and the windows on each floor provided a fantastic view of the city.

They all found something to do in the city of Los Angeles. Hanna was an intern at a fashion boutique, Spencer was mostly focusing on school, and Aria took a job at a photography studio.

'A' had stopped contacting them after sending them each one last text before their departure from Rosewood two months ago.

_Three liars moving away from Rosewood? Looks like the game is over.. For now. See you in the future, bitches. -A_

Ever since then, A has been completely radio silent.

For once, Aria let go. She stopped worrying. She could finally breathe.

Life had never been better.

* * *

**One year later**

Aria graduated high school with flying colors. She had been offered full-ride scholarships to multiple Ivy League colleges, including Brown, Columbia, and Cornell, but she denied them―she was postponing her education to focus on photography. Columbia was still her first choice; it was in New York, and Spencer studied there. Hanna had also been offered a spot in Columbia, but, like Aria, she decided to postpone college.

She had been in the photography studio that day, getting the camera, backdrop, props, and lighting ready for the model who was set to take a spring photo shoot, when she felt the model's agent and an acting manager staring at her, nodding and talking amongst themselves while still staring at her. She felt self-conscious; they must have been staring at her for about an hour now. Finally, when she was about to go over and confront them about it, the model's agent came walking over and introduced herself.

"I'm Anne Bell, Rosie Whiteley's model agent." Aria immediately recognized Anne Bell's name as well as Rosie's. Anne was the modeling agent for several of the most famous models out there (Rosie included): Miranda Kerr, Cindy Crawford, and multiple Victoria's Secret's Angels. Rosie was the model set to take her spring photo shoot here today; she was going to be on the front cover of Vogue. She stuck out her hand for Aria to shake, and Aria found that the raven-haired woman had a firm grip.

"Aria," she offered, smiling hesitantly.

"What a lovely name, and for a lovely girl like yourself," Anne complimented. Aria felt a bit uncomfortable and shifted from foot to foot. "My colleague and I couldn't help but notice how exquisitely beautiful and unique you are. You would be an absolutely big, big, big, model! You have the potential to become one of the most well-known models, like Rosie over there," she gestured towards Rosie, who was examining the clothes she was supposed to wear for the shoot. "Sure, you're a bit short, but it'll be all the rage in the media. Think about it, you'll be an inspiration to all the girls who are shorter than most models. It'll be absolutely _revolutionary_!" The woman was overly-excitable and bubbly.

Aria pursed her lips, unsure of how to respond. "I take it this is how you're asking me to become one of your models?"

"Yeah, pretty much, actually," she said, dropping the bubbly-girl act. "I'm not usually that bubbly. It's a front― my colleague thinks I need to be more.. endearing," she paused. "So what do you say? I can hook you up with an immediate photo shoot with Rosie for Cosmopolitan next week."

Aria was beyond surprised, and that itself was the understatement of the year. Should she? She bit her lip as she contemplated. It was certainly a big opportunity, and it definitely wouldn't hurt. Besides, Aria was sure the salary was huge.

"I'll... have to think about it."

"Of course. Call me when you make up your mind," she said, handing over here business card. "And keep in mind that you need to make the decision by Wednesday next week. Friday is the photo shoot."

Aria took the card and tucked it into her bag and smiled at the woman. "Okay. I'll be sure to call you."

Anne smiled and said one last thing to her before walking away. "I love your outfit, by the way. Very chic. Beautiful makeup as well."

Flattered, Aria beamed and looked down to examine her clothes: she was wearing a white lace overlay peplum tank top, a solid black pleated skater skirt that stopped mid-thigh, her black Michael Kors Leighton platform sandals, and a gold-tone necklace featuring a large fan of flat, triangular metal charms. Her lips were shockingly red, and she had smokey brown winged eye shadow. Her hair, as usual, was curled.

That day, when Aria drove home from work, she was sure it was the best day ever.

* * *

"That's fucking crazy! Oh god! You _have_ to take it Aria!" Hanna gushed to the brunette when Aria told her about her day at work and the job she was offered in the modeling career.

"That's a fantastic opportunity, Aria. You should definitely take it," Spencer said calmly, her eyes focused on the laptop in front of her. She was probably, no doubt about it, googling things about law.

Hanna gazed at Anne Bell's card in her hand, excitement bubbling in her veins.

"I don't know. I mean, I guess it wouldn't hurt, but.." Aria sighed and slumped onto the bed. They were currently in the penthouse, lounging around in Spencer's room. "I just don't know."

"Well, there's no reason for you not to. You have to take it. We can be, like, partners or something! Me being a fashion designer, and you a model? You can showcase my work!Call her right now!" Hanna urged, shoving a phone and the card towards Aria.

Aria smiled and paused for a moment. Finally, she gave in with a sigh and dialed the phone number.

* * *

**Two years later**

Mike Montgomery was now twenty years old. He had graduated high school in New Jersey with high grades and a promising future, much like his older sister.

Ella Rose, their mother, who had decided to go back to her maiden name, met a guy named Zack awhile back at a local cafe in Jersey and went vacationing for the summer with him in Austria.

Mike, having nothing to do and no one left in Jersey since their grandmother passed away recently, moved to New York to live with his sister and her friends. He lived on the first floor of their luxury home and attended school at Brown University, majoring in engineering. He had also met a girl named Lacey. She and Aria got off on the wrong foot at first, but they quickly made up and were now good friends. Mike and Lacey seemed to be pretty serious.

Aria Montgomery, now twenty one years old, had taken the modeling world by storm, quickly rising to the top of the list in the world's most famous models as well as at seventh place on the list in highest salary. It wasn't long before several managers for actors started noticing her and recruited her for several roles in their upcoming movies. She created strong relations to other famous singers, actors, and models, but she still kept her inner circle of friends tight. It consisted of Hanna, Spencer, a certain actor she had met a few months ago named Hunter Parrish, and Hunter's best friend, Logan Lerman.

Hunter was charming, to say the least. He was beyond sweet to Aria as well as caring; he was perfect in Aria's eyes. He was twenty-six years old, only five years her senior, with alarmingly stormy green eyes, dirty blonde hair that always seemed to be either brown or blonde (she couldn't really tell anymore), and a dazzling white smile. Aria and Hunter slowly became a couple, and the media quickly caught on. Paparazzi followed them around wherever they where, whatever they were doing, and Aria found the pictures on the internet shortly afterwards.

When Aria first introduced him to Mike, Hanna, and Spencer, Hanna had been about ready to pounce on him. She quickly backed off, however, when she took light that Hunter was with Aria, like the good best friend she was.

Hanna had also taken the fashion world by storm. She designed beautiful dresses and had several of her own clothing lines. She had become famous when she begged Aria to wear her designs around the city, showing them off to the media. People began catching on that Hanna Marin designed her clothes, and she quickly became famous for her work. She opened up her own fashion company, where she has more than five-thousand people working for her, and was hired by Vogue to be part of their fashion department. She and Caleb have started to talk to one another again over the phone, and they quickly became boyfriend and girlfriend once more.

Spencer became a well-known defense attorney― one of the best. She was branded 'the most influential lawyer in the world' by several sources. She ran into Toby in the busy streets of New York once two years ago when Aria was beginning her modeling career, and they rekindled their romance. Spencer and Toby, now respectively twenty-one and twenty-two, were engaged. Deciding they were still too young to actually tie the knot, they wanted to wait for a few more years, slowly planning their wedding.

Aria had stopped receiving texts from Jason and Ezra. They must've gotten tired of trying to get a hold of her and given up. She still kept in contact with Emily after all these years; Emily was contemplating taking a trip up to New York for the summer and visiting them.

Back in Rosewood, Jason was now twenty-seven years old, rich, successful, but still single. He had girls tripping all over themselves trying to get his attention, but he always brushed them off because he yearned for someone else― a life-long teenage crush that had recently become the talk of the town. Not only the town, but the whole country at that. Aria was that well-known. Jason had started up his own company, DiLaurentis Construction and Designing Inc. Business has been booming, with Rosewood's population rapidly increasing and the town expanding. Rosewood was finally becoming a fairly large city. The only time he actually acknowledged other girls was when he had one night stands with them, only to dump them out onto the streets the next day. With one girl, however, he had been repeatedly having sex with: Claire Holton, his blonde secretary. He had absolutely no interest in her, but only kept her around to fill the empty void that Aria once filled. Deep down in his heart, he knew Claire paled in comparison to everything Aria does and how she looks.

Claire was nothing compared to Aria.

* * *

**Two years later**

"Come on, we're going to be late!" Spencer yelled at Hanna.

"Hold up, will you?! I can't close my freaking suitcase!" Hanna screamed back, trying in vain to zip up her suitcase.

The three had agreed to come back and visit Rosewood after leaving for five years when Emily repeatedly begged them to during her visit them in New York last summer. Spencer and Hanna immediately agreed, excited to go and meet their boyfriends, Toby and Caleb. Mike came along too, Lacey in tow. He had really grown closer to his sister in the recent years that he's been living with her and her friends. Hunter had wanted to come to Rosewood, Logan included, but they were both busy filming their upcoming movies to come.

When they finally land at Rosewood awhile later, Hanna immediately jumps up and pushes her way to the exit.

"Halle-fucking-lujah! Finally!" Hanna exclaimed as she ran outside, stretching her limbs. She walked ahead of Aria, Mike, Spencer, and Lacey, who were all chuckling at her antics, and followed her into the airport terminal where Emily, Toby, and Caleb were waiting for her.

Both Hanna and Spencer, now twenty-three years old, rushed towards Caleb and Toby. Aria pulled down her sunglasses from the top of her hair and lowered her head as the airport was filled with many people. In only five years, the small, quiet town grew quickly, its population rivaling New York City.

Aria sighed as she heard and saw some people recognizing her.

"Aria!" The crowd screamed, and, eventually, other caught on. Defeated, Aria pushed the sunglasses back up to the top of her head and smiled at her fans. Some people even screamed for Hanna.

Mike let out a low whistle. "It's crazy how much Rosewood's changed in the span of five years. They're going crazy on you, Aria."

"Just keep walking," Aria said through her smile as they walked further towards their group. Security started setting out pole restraints, giving the group a way out the airport terminal without any fans bombarding them and getting in the way.

Aria sighed when they all walked out and she inhaled the fresh air. "God, I'd give anything to get my privacy back. I swear," Aria muttered under her breath.

They all stopped in the parking lot, turning to each other and smiling.

"I've missed you guys all so much," Aria said, taking turns to exchange hugs with Emily, Toby, and Caleb. Spencer and Hanna did the same.

As Aria piled into Emily's car with Mike and Lacey, Hanna and Spencer got into Caleb's car with Toby.

"So, how has your modeling and acting thing been going, Aria?" Emily asked as they drove to Spencer's childhood home. It was big enough to house Spencer, Hanna, Aria, Mike, and Lacey.

"I guess it's been good. Still kind of feels like I'm living in the old Rosewood, though. I can't keep anything from my personal life a secret, no matter how freaking hard I try," Aria huffed. "It feels like the old days, you know?"

Emily chuckled. "Good times," she paused. "Not. 'A' was really a pain in the ass."

"Agreed.

Mike and Lacey had confused looks on their faces. None of the liars had told anyone about their 'A' problems from the past.

"So, who's the pretty blonde?" Emily asked, a small smile on her lips. Even though it seemed like she was, Emily wasn't hitting on Lacey. She was in a relationship with Paige; they both got through the cheating thing and decided to forgive and forget.

"I'm Lacey. You're Emily, right?" The short blonde said, a smile gracing her small lips.

"That's me."

"It's nice to meet you. The girls have been telling me a lot about you these past few years."

They continued to chat, Mike occasionally butting in, until they arrived at the Hastings household. The other had already arrived from the looks of it, and they were probably unpacking their belongings.

"I'll help you with the luggage, Aria," Mike said, lifting up Emily's trunk and grabbing a suitcase while Aria grabbed the other.

"Thanks, kiddo," she said, reaching out an arm to ruffle his hair for old time's sake.

They laughed, and together, the four entered the Hastings household.

* * *

After they all unpacked and settled in, it was two in the afternoon.

They decided to head out to The Brew to have late lunch. They dined way in the back, sitting on the couch they sat on oftenly after school five years ago when they were discussing 'A' problems. The employees, seeing how Aria wished not to be disturbed by prying fans and paparazzi, pulled and put the plush curtains to use, shielding the group from the public.

As they ate, they talked about their careers, life, and mostly about Spencer and Toby's wedding.

"We're deciding to have it in a few months, actually. Here in Rosewood, too," Spencer said, an excited smile on her face. Aria noticed how she lit up around Toby, as did Hanna around Caleb. It warmed her heart to see how happy her friends were.

"Really?" Aria asked after swallowing her pastry. "What's the color scheme?"

"We were thinking coral and gold," Toby replied.

"Yeah. Coral roses and peonies for the centerpiece on the tables with white candles and a gold linen sheet for the tables. We're going to have gold-rimmed silverware tied with coral ribbon and everything. I was thinking, Hanna, that you would design my wedding dress and the bridesmaid dresses?"

Hanna's mouth gaped open. "Of course, Spence!" she exclaimed, already jumping up and down in her seat in excitement. Caleb chuckled and squeezed her shoulder, trying to calm her down."No, wait wait. I'm a bridesmaid though, right?"

Spencer sighed in mock exhaustion, but cracked a smile. "Yeah, Han. You, Emily, Paige, and Lacey."

Upon hearing her name, Lacey's eyebrows just about shot up to her hairline in surprise. She caught on a few seconds later and a she put on a pleased smile.

"Wait, what about Aria?" Mike asked, eyebrows raised.

"She's the maid of honor."

"Aw, Spence," Aria cooed, smiling widely at her friend. "So, who are the groomsmen and the best man, Toby?" Aria wondered, licking icing from her cupcake off from her thumb.

"I don't know yet, actually. I'll get back to you on that."

They continued talking wedding plans and venues, and, two hours later, they got up to go back to the Hastings household.

As Aria walked out from the cafe, fans bombarded her as well as paparazzi, their camera shutters flashing and shining in her eyes, making it beyond difficult to weave her way through the crowd.

Eventually, they all pushed through and hurried to the car, making a hasty escape.

"Wow, Aria," Toby said as he exhaled and ran a hand through his hair.

"Right?"

* * *

Aria was the last to get out of the car. She insisted that the others get into the house without her, since she wanted to stand outside for a little bit and take in the view of Rosewood.

She smiled as she spotted her old home a little ways down, but frowned when bad memories came surging back to her mind. She cringed and turned around, about to walk back to the house, when she saw a familiar figure getting out of the house next door.

"Aria?" he asked, disbelief in his tone.

Jason DiLaurentis came walking forward, an unfamiliar blonde woman on his arm.

"Jason," she breathed out, pursing her perfect pink lips.

* * *

**GASP. IT'S JASON.**

**I wasn't going to post this until I got more reviews, but I wanted this out before Christmas Eve. :)**

**Happy Holidays!**

**Thanks for reading, please review!**


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